A mocked up version of Boeing’s F/A-18 Super Hornet will be among the many metal birds to debut at the upcoming Aero India 2011Boeing, which is one of the contenders for the $10 billion medium multi-role combat aircraft (MMRCA) contract, will unveil a stealthier version of the F/A-18 at the air show to be held at the Air Force Station Yelahanka between February 9 and 13.Boeing’s vice-president for defence, space and security, Vivek Lall, said that one of the two F/A-18s which will be performing at the bi-annual show will be configured with conformal fuel tanks, enhanced performance engines, spherical missile laser warning, enclosed weapons pad, next generation cockpit and internal infrared search and tracking system.The mocked up aircraft, which will be unveiled at the Aero India will be the first F/A-18 to be developed as part of the ‘International Super Hornet Roadmap’ programme which was announced by the US-based aerospace company at last year’s Farnborough Air Show in the UK.Labelled as the next evolution of Block II Super Hornet, the aircraft is said to have features “which increase survivability, situational awareness, and performance for customers”.Lall said that if India inked the 126 MMRCA deal with Boeing, it would also have the option of shaping its technology in future. “We are putting up a platform which will be combat worthy for the next 30 to 40 years,” said Lall. Correction, February 3, 2011: The name and designation of Vivek Lall have been rectified.

GENOA, Italy — Engineers from U.S. behemoth Boeing are offering further glimpses into the so-called “international road map” variant of its F-18 Super Hornet, starting with its two shoulder-mounted conformal fuel tanks (CFTs) and numerous Enclosed Weapons Pods (EWPs).

The details are emerging as Boeing and rival Lockheed Martin, with its Joint Strike Fighter (JSF), move from being cut out of the Indian Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft and look to non-JSF partners like Japan for new business.

Several other air forces also are looking around for new fighters and will evaluate not only radar and avionics performances, but also how the fighters fare in both beyond-visual-range and close combat. Boeing has been promoting F-18 improvements under its international road map concept since last year, but it continues to dribble out more information as potential non-U.S. customers like Japan are targeted.

Along those lines, Boeing’s concept for a newer Super Hornet is intended to improve the basic airframe in terms of thrust/weight ratio, acceleration, agility, maneuverability, combat persistence, low-observable characteristics and sensor capabilities.

As Aviation Week & Space Technology and sister publication Defense Technology International have reported this year, to extend the F-18’s range without having to carry drag-inducing underwing fuel tanks, the new Super Hornet could rely on two CFTs. According to a preliminary calculation of a Super Hornet fitted with two CFTs and a belly-mounted conventional, external fuel tank, the aircraft would have the same combat radius that now only can be achieved with three external tanks. This is partly due to the position of the CFT’s center of gravity (CG), which is relatively close to the aircraft’s CG. The placement also cuts the amount of trim work and trim drag generated by the horizontal stabilizers.

Furthermore, the CFTs should not require modification of the flight control software, Boeing says, although confirmation will not come until wind tunnel and flight testing are carried out. The first test efforts are to be completed by the end of year with another round in 2012, the engineers say.

Along with the CFTs, Boeing also has been promoting replacement of the F-18’s wing and fuselage pylons and hardpoints with Enclosed Weapons Pods (EWPs), each of them able to host four AIM-120 missiles, a 2,000-lb. bomb or two 500-lb.-class weapons.

Boeing says that even if each EWP has a targeted empty weight of 370 kg (815 lb.), this “addition” is more than compensated for by elimination of pylons and rails and the better resulting aerodynamics, as well as reduced radar cross section (including against existing RCS treatments). With an underbelly and two underwing EWPs, the Super Hornet can carry 12 Amraams, plus the two wing-tip-mounted AIM-9Xs.

But the EWPs have yet to be certified for supersonic carriage and full combat load factors. Moreover, Boeing has not yet decided if it will modify an existing Super Hornet to flight test the CFTs and/or the EWPs.

Indeed, Boeing has yet to detail its estimates of how much better a Super Hornet fitted with an enhanced-performance engine variant of the General Electric F414, Transonic Flight Quality Improvement wing package, CFTs and EWPs would perform. But the company says that acceleration from level cruise speed to a supersonic Mach 1.3-Mach 1.5 will be reduced, depending on aircraft configuration and altitude, by 2-3.5 times compared with a standard Super Hornet. During a typical combat air patrol mission at altitudes around 40,000 ft., the time needed to accelerate from patrol to combat supersonic speed is to be reduced by 2-3 times.

And while it is clear that a modified Super Hornet will fly, accelerate, turn and have more specific excess power compared with the current Super Hornet within the same flight envelope, the international road map concept so far rests on Boeing internally funded research and development. The company wants a customer to fund more development and integration and test the improvements.

ST. LOUIS, Feb. 1, 2012 -- Boeing [NYSE: BA] today announced that it has started production of the new Distributed Targeting System (DTS) for the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet strike fighter.

DTS provides enhanced targeting capability for the Super Hornet. It is part of the U.S. Navy’s F/A-18E/F Network Centric Warfare Upgrades program and the F/A-18E/F Flight Plan, which will ensure that the Super Hornet remains ahead of emerging threats in coming decades.

The Navy granted approval for Low Rate Initial Production of DTS following successful completion of initial operational assessment flight testing at Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake, Calif., and Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Md., between September 2010 and March 2011. Air Test and Evaluation Squadrons VX-31 and VX-23 conducted the tests.

“Distributed targeting is going to be a real game-changer for Super Hornet aircrews,” said Kevin Fogarty, Boeing F/A-18 and EA-18G Mission Systems director. “DTS increases pilot and aircrew situational awareness and precision targeting when engaging air-to-ground targets, in part by using geo-registration technology.”

DTS is on schedule to achieve Initial Operational Capability in January 2013.

The Boeing Super Hornet is a multirole aircraft, able to perform virtually every mission in the tactical spectrum, including air superiority, day/night strike with precision-guided weapons, fighter escort, close air support, suppression of enemy air defenses, maritime strike, reconnaissance, forward air control and tanker missions. Boeing has delivered more than 480 F/A-18E/Fs to the U.S. Navy. Every Super Hornet produced has been delivered ahead of schedule and on budget.

Distributed simulation project to lay foundation for future technology collaboration with Brazilian industrySANTIAGO, Chile, March 27, 2012 – The Boeing Company [NYSE: BA] and Elbit Systems are collaborating on a joint distributed simulation project that will link a Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet simulator in St. Louis with an AEL Avionics Laboratory simulator in Porto Alegre, Brazil.

The effort brings together Boeing’s and Elbit’s expertise in order to demonstrate current simulation and network technology as well as the capabilities of the Super Hornet. The demonstration also will explore the potential for other technology collaborations, such as Super Hornet interoperability with Brazilian fighter aircraft. The distributed simulation project is expected to be completed this summer.

Boeing and Elbit Systems are developing a robust plan for technology exchange in the areas of simulation and avionics support for Brazil’s F-X2 program. Earlier this month, Boeing and Elbit Systems signed a Memorandum of Understanding that supports the development of advanced avionics capabilities in Brazil that will be introduced to AEL Sistemas. Elbit was selected to provide the Large Area Display (LAD) system that will be part of an advanced cockpit system to be offered on Boeing fighter aircraft, including the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet and the F-15 family of aircraft, including the Silent Eagle. As a key supplier to Boeing fighter aircraft programs, Elbit, through Boeing, is investing in the development of advanced cockpit avionics capabilities at AEL Sistemas.

Elbit representatives recently met with the Boeing Super Hornet team in St. Louis to begin outlining working plans for developing the advanced avionics and the LAD. The Brazilian engineers and their Boeing counterparts expect to create a strong working relationship that will bring value to Brazilian industry and the Brazilian Air Force.

The Boeing and Elbit teams also have begun exploring potential opportunities for other systems and support activities that would benefit AEL Sistemas and Brazilian industry in the near term and for the life cycle of the aircraft.

“By working together on today’s aircraft avionics, Boeing and Elbit engineers will be able to chart a plan for the future,” said Mike Gibbons, vice president, Boeing F/A-18 and EA-18 Programs. “These collaborative efforts provide opportunities for international growth for Boeing and our global supply chain.”

Washington, USA - New infrared camera integrated into the centerline station fuel tank

(WAPA) - The Super Hornet, the latest version of the well-know US Navy F/A-18 Hornet multi-role fighter aircraft, is going to be upgraded again. The new hardware is currently being developed at a Boeing facility.

In particular, this upgrade will regard the targeting system. The programme plans to equip with new sensor packages all the F/A-18 Super Hornet family, which includes the multi-role striker and the electronic-warfare aircraft EA-18G Growler.

"This new targeting system allows you to self-generate GPS-quality mensurated(sic) coordinates onboard the airplane autonomously".

This operation will force the US Navy to a general retrofit of the type, and it has already raised some controversies about its costs. However, the upgrade is composed of another system.

This system is a new infrared search and track pod (IRST) that is an evolution of the Northrop Grumman F-14D Tomcat's AN/AAS-42 IRST camera.

"A pod avoids retrofit costs. One of the unique design features of this new system is that it is built into an external fuel tank. Because the aircraft's centerline station is the optimum position for the IRST pod, it has to take the place of the Super Hornet's ever-present drop-tank (which, it should be said, is an aircraft that always suffered due to range limitations, Ed.)".

"The centerline station is far enough forward that it affords a podded-sensor an unobstructed up and down view, which is critical for the sensor to be effective. In order to preserve the Super Hornet's range, the US Navy opted to have the sensor built into the forward half of the fuel tank. That way, two-thirds of the fuel are still available for use". (Avionews)(2013)